Small Business Turnaround: How Operational Changes Saved a Local Pizza Shop

Part of the "Commitment to Small Business" Series by Jon R. Irwin

Before founding Resilio Partners., I worked behind the scenes on small business turnaround efforts like this one. This story comes from when I was still running my flooring company in a sleepy Michigan town during the 2008 economic downturn, when everyone and their brother seemed to be opening a pizza place.

One of those people was an acquaintance who had talked about owning a pizza shop for as long as I could remember. I was genuinely happy for him when he finally opened one in his neighborhood.

About six months in, we met up for dinner. He was struggling. Halloween, the biggest day of the year for pizza sales, had been a bust, and he was worried the business wouldn't make it.

My Approach

I offered to help in any way I could and took a structured approach, even back then:

1. On-site observation:

   I visited the restaurant to observe daily operations and asked what procedures the staff were expected to follow. The answer was not much. There were no documented processes, cleaning schedules, or prep guides.

2. Forecasting analysis:

   Even though the business was new, I looked at historical data from the previous owner and studied competitors in the area. This gave us enough information to create a basic sales and prep forecasting model.

3. Team interviews and role alignment:

   I spoke with staff to understand where their strengths were. While I never made staffing recommendations, I helped reassign roles so employees worked in positions that suited them. I also identified one standout individual who showed leadership potential and could be trained as an assistant manager.

What We Fixed

• We implemented cleaning and prep schedules that helped him pass future health inspections.

• Organized coolers, freezers, and dry storage for faster inventory and better ordering.

• Built custom Excel sheets with light automation, tied to his POS system, to generate sales and labor projections.

• Created a scheduling system based on actual sales data and foot traffic trends.

• Promoted an assistant manager to reduce the owner's workload by giving him two days off weekly.

• Identified Mondays as a low-revenue day and converted it to a deep-cleaning shift with optional extra hours for staff.

The Result

What started as an overwhelmed owner with no time off became a more structured, manageable business. By the end of the six-month engagement, he was earning a modest salary, turning a small profit, and preparing confidently for the next Halloween rush.

More importantly, he was no longer running the business alone. He had structure, support, and a path forward.

Final Thoughts

This small business turnaround became a pivotal moment in my journey, proving how operational structure can revive struggling businesses and laid the groundwork for the kind of work I do every day at Resilio Partners.

If you're a small business owner who feels buried by the day-to-day, there's a better way. Let's talk.

Book a free strategy session. https://calendly.com/jon-irwin-resilio-partners/30min